updated 08:30 am EDT, Fri April 13, 2007

Foxconn Buildng WiFi iPod

Apple is planning to release a Wi-Fi iPod in the second half of the year, according to component makers in Taiwan. The sources allege that local business Universal Scientific Industrial will be responsible for supplying the Wi-Fi chipsets needed for the design, while long-time Apple partner Foxconn will be responsible for building finished units. Parts from USI wold begin delivery as soon as this month while Foxconn could be ready to ship during the summer, the report said.

Manufacturing reports such as these can sometimes be inaccurate, as suppliers will not have a clear image of a company's product strategy. Similar sources have correctly surmised that Apple would ask Foxconn to produce the iPhone for the first half of 2007 but would ship 12 million units without explaining the terms of when the figure would be reached, calling them into question. Apple itself has only advised that it would expect to sell 10 million iPhones by the end of 2008.

Other technical details were unavailable in the report, including heavily speculated switches to a touchscreen control mechanism.

Apple may be responding to increased pressure from other media player manufacturers, the sources claim. Microsoft's Zune was the first mainstream device of the kind to include Wi-Fi and uses it for sharing songs between users. Second-place iPod rival SanDisk has also released and expanded upon the concept with its Sansa Connect, which uses the wireless standard to listen to music and view friends as well as photos.

agreed!!

iPod as remote?

I hope they use WiFi to make the iPod work as a visual remote. It would be a great way to control your home audio system, without having to start up your tv. Just thinking about reducing unnecessary energy usage here... This would be a very nice alternative to SlimDevices Squeezebox. It is a nice device, but I like the idea of the visual interface being inside the remote.

Apple TV

I think Apple is trying to tie it in with the Apple TV. Makes sense. A friend comes over to your house and has a wi-fi iPod. He can stream music and movies to your Apple TV. Of course, that wi-fi would need to be at least 802.11g. Seeing as how the iPhone has it, it would be easy to incorporate it into the new iPod.